Medical Communication Perceived Self-Efficacy (ME-CO) Scale: Construction and Validation of a New Measuring Instrument from a Socio-Cognitive Perspective

Abstract

The study presents the validation of a scale measuring physicians’ efficacy beliefs about their ability to manage issues related to communication with patients. Specifically, the tool focused on three fundamental phases of the clinical interview: collecting information, returning information to patients, and creating and maintaining a relationship with them. The research included two studies. Study 1 generated an item pool based on the literature review and developed a self-report questionnaire administered to a pilot sample of 150 physicians (MAge = 49.36; SD = 1.98). The responses were subjected to exploratory analysis. In total, 636 physicians (MAge = 47.99; SD = 8.68) took part in Study 2. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses yielded a final version of the tool consisting of an eight-factor structure with 31 items. Findings provided evidence of the robust psychometric properties of the scale and its usefulness in assessing physicians’ self-efficacy and defining effective interventions aimed at strengthening the doctors’ communication skills. The scale detected different aspects of physicians’ communication self-efficacy (asking questions, active listening, giving information, communicating an inauspicious diagnosis, non-verbal communication, recognition of patient’s clues and suggestions, information checking, and empathy).

Value of Care: An Exploratory Qualitative Study with Doctors and Patients

“…Communication and empathy: Effective communication between physicians and patients is crucial for understanding and addressing psychosocial needs. Encouraging physicians, and other healthcare professionals, to develop strong communication skills, active listening, and empathy can help build trust, establish therapeutic relationships, and provide emotional support to patients [14].…”

“…Beyond that, they did not explore this and other aspects in a psychosocial framework. This does not allow scholars to have a solid ground when they inevitably wrestle with psychosocial issues, e.g., health communication and relational aspects that occur and characterise the care encounter [14,15].…”

Psychosocial factors contributing to value creation in value-based healthcare: a scoping review

“…The literature ( Virlée et al, 2020 ) highlights the importance of going beyond purely economic measures and considering the relational, psychological and social aspects of care. Such an approach can potentially improve patient outcomes, the well-being of healthcare workers and organizational culture ( Capone, 2022 ; Marino and Capone, 2023 ). In summary, despite the increasing adoption of VBHC ( Gunawan et al, 2022 ), defining, measuring and understanding the value of healthcare is a challenging task that requires the inclusion of psychosocial dimensions and consideration of the common matrix of social and economic issues ( Osei-Frimpong, 2016 ).…”

Physicians’ Words, Patients’ Response: The Role of Healthcare Counselling in Enhancing Beneficial Lifestyle Modifications for Patients with Cardiometabolic Disorders: The IACT Cross-Sectional Study

“…Nevertheless, various studies centering on physician-patient interactions have brought to light instances of patient dissatisfaction, even when healthcare providers perceive their communication as satisfactory or exemplary [18]. The quality of communication substantially influences patients' grasp of their medical condition, their perceived capacity to enact changes, and their adherence to medical and lifestyle counsel [19,20].…”